Vienna, 5 April 2024 – The recent bird flu outbreak in dairy cows in the United States raises serious concerns. For the first time, dairy cattle in six US states were infected with highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI) H5N1. It is also a first, that the virus was transmitted from cow to human, as the US Center for Disease Control and Prevention confirmed this week that a person in contact with dairy cows had tested positive for the virus. Alarmed by these latest developments, global animal welfare organisation FOUR PAWS calls for a fortification of international efforts on pandemic prevention by tackling the drivers of outbreaks: the intensification of farming, wildlife farming and the loss of habitat for wild animals.

The Pandemic Treaty is an international instrument for pandemic prevention, preparedness and response, it is currently under negotiation and will be finalised in May 2024 at the World Health Assembly of the WHO. About 75% of emerging infectious diseases are zoonoses, i.e. transmissible between animals and humans.

The excessive number of animals in factory farms, kept in crammed, stressful and unhygienic conditions, is a major contributor to the transmission, circulation and mutation of avian influenza viruses. Transitioning to smaller farms with higher animal welfare and phasing out high-risk practices can lower disease risks, limit culling and animal suffering, and reduce economic losses. For example, 485,000 mink, foxes and raccoon dogs were mass killed in Finland in 2023, and 141 million poultry died or were euthanized worldwide in 2022 due to H5N.